There are known in the prior art, merchandising machines which are adapted to deliver cold drinks in response to the deposit therein of a sum of money. In general, such machines are designed to deliver a variety of beverages of different flavors which may be either still or carbonated water and which may be dispensed with or without ice. In one type of beverage dispensing machine, the flavoring constituent and the water constituent are mixed directly in the cup in which the beverage is delivered to the customer and the ice, if any, is delivered to the cup at some point in the operating cycle of the machine.
In machines of the type described above, a plurality of nozzles leading from the respective syrup supplies and a water outlet member are assembled at a location above the cup delivery station and are so oriented as to deliver the syrup and water into the cup. In addition, an ice delivery chute is supported so as to direct ice from the icemaker storage bin to the cup. To insure an adequate mixing, each nozzle is positioned so that its stream of flavored syrup intersects with the common water stream at a prescribed angle and location relative to the cup.
In most nozzle holders of the prior art, the individual nozzles are formed of metal and soldered into position on a metal bracket. While these nozzle holders assure accurate positioning of the nozzles for intersection of the syrup stream with the water stream, if the initial assembly operation is properly done, later adjustment is not possible. Moreover, the individual nozzles cannot be readily removed for cleaning or replacement. In addition, this arrangement prevents the quick replacement of an individual nozzle with one having a larger internal diameter for use with a heavier syrup.
Selvia et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,642 issued Oct. 19, 1976, discloses an alternate form of nozzle and holder assembly in which blocks clamped together form ball and socket supports with elements on the nozzles adjustably to support the nozzles. The arrangement permits the removal and replacement of the individual nozzles by unclamping the blocks. However, as the nozzles must be repositioned by hand each time they are removed, this arrangement does not automatically ensure accurate positioning of the nozzles for intersection of the syrup stream with the water stream as the nozzles are replaced.